Theology

Review: Introducing Communio Theology

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Cover image of "Introducing Communio Theology" by Tracey Rowland

Introducing Communio Theology

Introducing Communio Theology, Tracey Rowland. Word on Fire Academic (ISBN: 9781685781637) 2025.

Summary: An exploration of the Communio theological movement that arose following Vatican II and its relevance.

“Communio Theology.” What is that? This was my question when I saw the title of this book. I came to learn that this is a theological movement within Catholicism following Vatican II, beginning in the early 1970’s. The theologians in this movement seek to engage the currents of change following the Council while affirming traditional theological convictions. The movement is international in character. Communio: International Catholic Review was created as a journal for articles from the community of theologians identifying with this movement. It is published in several different language editions.

In this Introduction, Tracey Rowland provides this history and introduces us to three key figures in the Communio movement: Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac, and Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). As mentioned, this group formed in response to Vatican II. In particular, Rowland shows, the resulting documents contained many ambiguities as well as reflecting different strains of Catholicism. She offers an account for how they responded, framing theological proposals that didn’t break with the past and yet built on discussions on matters of ecclesiology, revelation, anthropology, and more.

While the many theologians are each distinctive, Rowland identifies four hallmarks in their work. Firstly, was a Trinitarian Christocentric foundation. This shapes everything from convictions on sacerdotal priesthood to a metaphysics of gift with political and economic implications. Secondly, Communio theology is wary of dualisms and dichotomies that divorce grace and nature, theology and philosophy, Church and state. Thirdly, is a conviction that sociology is not theologically neutral and frequently at variance from a Christian anthropology. Fourthly is the embrace of the transcendentals of goodness, truth, and beauty. While different traditions emphasize one or the other, Communio weaves them together in harmony.

Within this framework, Rowland summarizes the contributions of Communio theologians, particularly the three key figures, on a range of subjects. These include tradition, reading scripture, moral theology, feminism, the sacerdotal nature of the priesthood, stewardship of creation, and secularism. The last is particularly fascinating in illustrating the non-dualism of Communio scholars. They trace the flaws of secularism to the divorce of faith and reason, grace and nature, and humanity from the Triune God. Tat non-dualism is also evident in their engagement with Thomism. While they are two different schools, Communio theologians don’t see themselves in opposition to Thomists.

As a reader outside of Catholicism, I was impressed with the vibrancy of theological engagement on questions we also care about–how we read scripture, how we understand the moral life, and how we care for the creation. At the same time, I found myself wondering at the book’s silence about theological discussions in the church since 2013, when Benedict resigned. How have more recent developments shaped the concerns of Communio theologians?

I would commend this “Introduction” to Catholics to give them an enriched appreciation of the rich intellectual resources within Catholicism. And for those who are not Catholics, the book is helpful in understanding matters like tradition and the priesthood and why we may differ. And much of what those from non-Catholic backgrounds will read is part of our “family history.” We may well recognize that we also have much in common and much to learn!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Light of Faith and Reason

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Cover image of "The Light of Faith and Reason" by Gerhard Lohfink

The Light of Faith and Reason

The Light of Faith and Reason, Gerhard Lohfink, translated by Linda M. Maloney. Liturgical Press (ISBN: 9798400801143) 2026.

Summary: The Enlightenment did not begin in the seventeenth century but in the Old Testament and deepened by Jesus.

Gerhard Lohfink, the Catholic New Testament scholar at Tubingen, passed away in 2024. This work, based on lectures Lohfink gave was first published in German in 2016. Now, thanks to the work of his longtime translator, Linda M. Maloney, we have this valedictory collection in English. The theme tying this lecture material together is that the Enlightenment did not begin in the seventeenth century. Rather, it originated in Greece and in the story of Israel. Then Jesus and the church deepen this story of enlightenment. The first ten chapters elaborate this contention while the last eight address a number of subjects, showing faith and reason working together.

He begins by asking, “Is the Church Required to Undergo Enlightenment.” He traces the idea of freedom back to the exodus story of liberation. A new social order characterized by equality originates at Sinai. As for human dignity, its roots go back to the imago dei of Genesis 1. He then shows how what we consider modern formulations of human rights may be found in late Spanish scholasticism, that these indeed laid the basis for what we call the Enlightenment.

He goes on to show how replacing the pantheon of deities with a single Creator opened up a true love for and engagement with creation. As creatures we live both as those “who are dust” and as those for whom the world was created. Then he considers the election of Israel, and how this was for the nations. But what do they see? Nor a perfect nation, but a defeated one who becomes The Servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. He goes on to show how the knowledge of God revealed in Exodus 1-15 create a liberating social structure. He then offers a fascinating chapter that builds on this with working out how the Trinity challenge imperil monotheism.

Lohfink explores how Jesus deepened the enlightenment and how the early church grasped that. He cites their commitment to nonviolence and community. Also, expecting Christ’s imminent return, they lived out the imminent kingdom as something for “today.” Finally, chapters 9 and 10, the concluding chapters of his argument show how the resurrection both fulfills and transforms everything.

The last eight chapters do not seem to hang together as a continuation of the argument. But they sparkle with insights nevertheless. Chapter 11 on “How Paul Talks to His Communities” notes the richness of his imagery, his memorability, clarity, arguments, and his stress on creating community. He offers a reading of Romans 9-11 that argues that Paul is not anti-Jewish. He synthesizes New Testament teaching on how the church gathers, how it resolves conflict, and does mission. And he notes how important a house-based ministry was.

Lohfink offers a long chapter on the New Testament basis of the priestly office, instructive for this non-Catholic to understand how Catholics root the priesthood in the New Testament. He also addresses Marian devotion, arguing the case for the church’s doctrine yet understanding that Mary is one of us, not our mediator but our dear mother with whom we stand before God. Then he concludes the collection with a discussion of the judgment of Matthew 25 regarding the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner.

What Lohfink does first of all is argue how the reasonable faith we’ve embraced has all that the enlightenment proclaimed on a firmer basis, rooted in the Triune God. Second, he shows in the genius of the early church’s life the practical manifestation of that light in the ways the ordered their life and mission. Rather than accept a narrative that we hear in most western civilization courses that the Enlightenment supplied what the church lacked, he shows that it couldn’t happen apart from the church. I also appreciated the tone throughout. We do not have the polemics of a culture warrior but the patient instruction of a teacher and pastor, bringing out the treasures of insight we find in scripture. This publication is truly a parting gift.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Enacting Atonement

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Cover image of "Enacting Atonement by Roy McDaniel

Enacting Atonement

Enacting Atonement (Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture), Roy McDaniel. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514012529) 2025.

Summary: A study of the burnt offering of Leviticus 1:1-9 and how it displays the logic of atonement fulfilled in Christ.

Leviticus is where Bible reading programs often go to die. We get through Genesis and Exodus (although those tabernacle instructions can be a challenge). And then we get to Leviticus. All those offerings. But Roy McDaniel believes that the burnt offering described in the first nine verses of Leviticus 1 is significant for how it enacts atonement. He believes it both points toward and finds its efficacy in Christ’s atoning death.

McDaniel unpacks his argument through a narrative analysis of Leviticus 1:1-9. He begins with the setting (chapter one) of the sacrifice in God’s call to Moses from the tent of meeting. Then he sets that call in the character of God as revealed in his dealings with Israel in Genesis and Exodus. This points to the sacrifice addressing both satisfaction of divine justice and a recapitulation through a “filial” substitution. This is further elaborated in the plot (chapter two) of the Levitical sacrifice. The plotline of the sacrifice is a return to God of the filial offeror, through the death of the sacrifice, to God.

The hero (chapter three) is the filial son who presents the offering, laying his hand on the head, then slaughtering it, and skinning it. But the priests splash its blood and arrange the pieces to be burnt. So, this points toward the eternal Son who is both offeror and offering. Earthly son can only identify with the offering. The heavenly Son becomes it. Thus, the action (chapter four) sees the offering as one addressing the offeror’s original sin that stands in the way of approaching God’s presence and serving. Daniel traces each step and how it both satisfies the justice of god through the substitution of the offering. This is completed, then, in the pleasing aroma ascending to God.

Finally, McDaniel considers the meaning (chapter 5), considering on the basis of Hebrews, how the burnt offering enacts Christ’s work. McDaniel argues for the importance of the ascension, as well as the crucifixion and resurrection. The ascension is the pleasing odor rising to God. If not the completion of the sacrifice, as Moffitt argues, it is the exaltation of the filial Son.

Since McDaniel’s case foregrounds the burnt offering of Leviticus 1 as satisfaction through filial substitution, he includes an appendix traces the histories of models of the atonement. The study makes a good case for the typological significance of the burnt offering. And it celebrates the ultimate hero, the eternal Son!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Heaven and Hell

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Cover image of "Heaven and Hell" by Edward Donnelly

Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell, Edward Donnelly. Banner of Truth. (ISBN: 9781800405325) 2025, first published 2002.

Summary: A discussion of the traditional doctrines of hell and heaven that we might flee hell and embrace the hope of heaven.

For many of us who believe in some form of existence after death, we hope it will be in some form of “heaven.” And in many cases, we don’t want to think of the “other place,” unless it is for the truly evil like Hitler or Pol Pot. Many struggle to reconcile the idea of a loving and saving God with a place of everlasting punishment. In this book, Edward Donnelly helps us to “think about the unthinkable” as well as bring clarity to what we know of heaven, how we might be sure of going there, and how truly glorious such a future hope is.

The first half of the book is about hell. He begins by addressing why think of the unthinkable. In addition to the massive weight of biblical testimony, he argues that we need to weigh the sober content of the doctrine, that it concerns us directly, and there is a clear way of escape available for all. He also argues for this study because of the massive unbelief in hell, even among supposed “evangelical” Christians. Underlying all of this is our self-centeredness that denies the reality of sin and the holiness of God.

Then, Donnelly turns to examine the biblical evidence, showing that it is a real place created by God and a place of just and everlasting punishment. It is for the devil, his angels, and for those who do not believe. He shows that it is not Satan but God who rules over hell. But isn’t everlasting punishment too severe? The ultimate argument is that without hell, the cross makes no sense. If sin were a trivial matter, the sacrifice of the cross makes no sense. Likewise, he addresses the contention that a loving God wouldn’t create hell. He observes that God is holy as well as loving. and also that love doesn’t overlook evil. And finally, a merciful remedy exists by which no one need go to hell. Rather, than torment us, scripture warns us of hell that we might embrace the remedy!

Furthermore, the destruction is everlasting, the same word use to speak of everlasting life. He describes bluntly what it is like to be utterly separated from God, from all the goodness even those who do not believe now experience. and he discusses what those in hell suffer. While scripture uses imagery (flames, darkness), the reality is still a real experience of pain, even if not never ending fire. But what are the implications for those who believe? First it encourages us to put sin to death. Then, it means we live with contentment in all circumstances. Third, it calls us to a serious, though not gloomy approach, realizing we live among those headed toward a Christless eternity. Fourthly, it fosters a deeper appreciation of Christ. Fifthly, it lends urgency to our witness.

A couple comments. One is that it seems this book assumes those who have never heard are headed to hell, as far as I can tell. I would argue that scripture is silent on this other than to urge us to reach the unreached. I would leave their final fate to God’s just judgement. The other is I would have liked to see more of a case against annihilation, which is only mentioned to dismiss it as an example of evangelicals who argue against everlasting conscious punishment. While I would agree on the basis of biblical texts, not least of which are the statements of Jesus, that there are good reasons to affirm traditional view, those like John Stott have advanced biblical arguments for annihilation, that I would like to have seen addressed thoughtfully.

That said, this part of the book offers one of the clearest modern statements on the biblical teaching on hell and judgment. Furthermore, it makes the case for why we do well to flee to Christ and for the urgency of our witness.

Then Donnelly turns to heaven. He begins by observing that while many believe in heaven, we find those beliefs are often superficial. He explores both the reasons for our neglect and why the glorious hope of heaven matters. Again, he presents the biblical teaching about heaven. Donnelly emphasizes that heaven exists first of all for God’s glory, that both heaven and earth were created for God’s glory. But human rebellion diminished that glory. God has worked to restore that glory through calling a people, redeemed through Christ. Then he proceeds to show how Christ is the heart of heaven’s blessings. He is the Lamb who was slain and has conquered death.

Donnelly goes on to speak of how we will be like Christ. He makes us perfect, sinless, raises us bodily, in glory and power. Above all, he delights in us. Finally, he speaks of our fullness of joy. We, who are new creations, dwell in a renewed creation, even more beautiful than earth’s greatest beauties. We enjoy family relations with all God’s people–a large, varied, united, attractive, and satisfying family. And we will enjoy both rest and service in worshiping God with all our being and gifts.

I suspect some will object to Donnelly’s unapologetic statement of the doctrine of hell. Yet there are many unpleasant things in life we are better off knowing about. By knowing we can avoid them. Also, setting hell and heaven side by side points up the incredible gift Christ has made possible at great cost. It makes clear both the fearsome reality of hell, and that none of us need go there. God has made available a remedy offering a far better future. If true, we’d have to be crazy to neglect it.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Nicaea for Today

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Cover image of "Nicaea for Today" by Coleman M. Ford and Shawn J. Wilhite

Nicaea for Today

Nicaea for Today, Coleman M. Ford and Shawn J. Wilhite. B & H Academic (ISBN: 9781430091547) 2025.

Summary: The history, meaning, and contemporary significance of the Nicene Creed and how it may be used in churches today.

Why is a theological statement, a creed formulated 1700 years ago still important for the life of the church? That is the question Coleman M. Ford and Shawn J. Wilhite address in Nicaea for Today. The year 2025 marked the 1700th anniversary of the creed that emerged from an ecumenical council of bishops called by Constantine, meeting in the town of Nicaea, in Asia Minor. The authors argue that the Nicene Creed and its expansion, the Nicene-Constantinople Creed in 381 are not simply for those with an interest in early church history but of continuing value for the church, articulating shared essential beliefs grounded in the scriptures. At the same time, these beliefs serve as a guide for how we read the scriptures, particularly in understanding the person and work of Christ.

First, the authors unpack this historical context leading to Nicaea. They elaborate the challenge posed by Arius as a popular teacher in the church who asserted of the Son that “There was a time when he was not.” In other words, he was asserting that the Son was not co-eternal with God the Father and did not share the Father’s divine nature. Meanwhile, a huge transformation was taking place in the Roman empire with the ascent of Constantine to power and the new status he bestowed on the church. As the controversy with Arius grew, Arius and his followers appealed to Constantine, who called for the ecumenical council to meet.

In the next two chapters (3 and 4), the authors show how Nicaea addressed both the divinity and full humanity of Jesus. Pertaining to divinity, the Son was eternally begotten of the Father, not created, and he was consubstantial with the Father, of one substance. In other words, the Son is eternally generated by the father, a description not of beginning but relationship. As the Son, he was God’s agent in creation. That is, through him, all things were created.

Then the creed discusses how the divine Son became human, the Incarnate Son, adding a human nature to his divine nature in one hypostatic union (although this was not fully clarified until 451 at Chalcedon). Crucified, he bodily arose and ascended, from which he will return in judgment and victory. The authors include the seven two-fold patterns associated with Christ from Cyril’s Catechetical Lectures: two advents, two generations, to descents, two cloth coverings, two different postures, two announcements, and two judgments.

Chapters 5 and 6 then focus on salvation and sanctification in the creed. Only the Incarnate Son could save. He was both fully human standing in our place. And since only God could save, his work was fully effective to save. And because he arose, Jesus is our trophy over death. By participating in the life of the risen Christ, we are transformed increasingly into the likeness of Christ. The final transformation will be our resurrection.

Finally, chapters 7 and 8 address how we might use the creeds in our churches today. They address their use in baptism, eucharist, and the catechism of new believers. They also touch on use in personal devotion, corporate worship, and preaching. Lastly, they discuss reading the Bible Nicenely. That is, they serve as a faithful guide for exegesis. The authors elaborate this further in what they call partitive exegesis, using Philippians 2 as an example.

I appreciated the history and clear explanations of the issues at stake theologically for the Councils. In addition, each chapter opens with a pithy summary of the chapter’s relevance, “Thinking Nicenely Today.” Each chapter concludes the theological discussion with a “Biblical Connections” section and “Conclusion” that served as a brief chapter summary. The authors also provide reading lists of primary and secondary source material.

The authors succeed in their aim to show the relevance for the Nicene and Nicene-Constantinople Creeds for the church today. They offer clear explications for the value of the creeds for articulating core Christian beliefs. They show how the creeds can guide our reading of scripture. And they show how to fruitfully implement the creeds in our practice. This is a valuable resource for seminarians, pastors, liturgists, and adult educators.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Why I Am Protestant

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Cover image of "Why I Am Protestant" by Beth Felker Jones

Why I Am Protestant

Why I Am Protestant (Ecumenical Dialogue Series), Beth Felker Jones. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514003008) 2025.

Summary: A Protestant theologian addresses the strengths, weaknesses, and contributions of Protestantism.

The Protestant tradition has fostered an emphasis on scripture that has but the Bible in the hands of every believer. Likewise, the focus on God’s grace in our salvation has brought great joy and freedom to many. But it seems that once Protestants broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, they have kept breaking into hundreds of different bodies. Likewise, putting the Bible into the hands of individual believers, while contributing to devotion, has also led to a welter of conflicting readings of scripture. The unity of the Roman Catholic Church and its doctrinal authority have been attractive to many frustrated with the divisions and interpretive chaos the perceive in Protestantism. Why, then, would anyone choose to be Protestant?

Beth Felker Jones was both raised in the Protestant tradition and teaches in a Protestant seminary. She makes a case that affirms Protestant strengths, acknowledges and addresses weaknesses, and does so in an irenic spirit that acknowledges solidarity with Christians in other traditions and the unity of the whole church under Christ.

Jones begins with by describing why she is a Christian. Surprisingly, she is unapologetic of growing up in a Christian home. She sees this as the grace of God (a theme that recurs throughout this book). She narrates the unfolding call of God, complemented by a growing appreciation of the beauty of our shared Christian faith, expressed in the creeds. Above all, she is a Christian because she has believed the good news of the gospel of Christ’s death for sin and resurrection to, and for, life everlasting.

Only then does she address why she is a Protestant Christian. Paradoxically, she claims she is Protestant as a way to embrace the true unity and catholicity of the church. She understands this catholicity as a gift from God through Word and sacrament. The focus on semper reformanda emphasizes the Protestant love for and humble approach toward orthodoxy. Emphasis on the solas emphasizes our salvation as sheer gift of God, not dependent on works, church, priests, or sacraments.

Jones goes on to describe how her Protestantism helps her in her Christian life. Belief in both God’s goodness and human sinfulness helps her understand brokenness both in the church and the world. The scriptures foster her intimacy and knowledge of God. Most of all, Protestant ecclesiology has been vital in her life. She writes:

“If God can and does work in corrupt places, who are we to limit the church to our own institutions and borders? If every historical church is riddled with sin, who are we to claim the rightness of our own churches? But if church is grace, then Protestant churches are church. More, they are church with the very important mission of promulgating the good news that church is powered by God and not by us. The church is the church by grace and not by institutional structures” (p. 51).

She believes this ecclesiology of grace is a crucial contribution that enables the church to face its own brokenness.

But grace doesn’t mean glossing over difficulties. Jones addresses individualism and fragmentation. While problematic, she observes that individualism and fragmentation are the fruits of modernity, and not confined to the Protestant tradition. However, this also allows for faith by consent rather than enforced by authority. She also proposes that interpretive complexity nevertheless acknowledges a center. Also, diversity of interpretation at the edges may offer a flexibility in mission. Indeed, the very fact of scripture in two languages assumes translatability, with the inherent differences that come with this. Jones believes all this calls us not into institutional order but deeper dependence on God.

I particularly appreciated her discussion of Protestantism’s strengths. She began with the idea of home–that our histories matter. Like Jones, I come from generations of Protestants–Presbyterian, Methodist, and Anabaptist. Then she focuses the remainder of this chapter on the riches of a theology of grace. This particularly evident in clarity in understanding of justification and its distinction from sanctification. She then turns to our hope for unity amid diversity–one font and one table. She carries this hope through in treating passages of scripture distinctively appealed to by Protestants.

My only critique in all this is I would have liked her to address what is particularly “broken” in our divisions and our interpretive pluralism and how we remediate these. That said, I thought her discussion of the greatest contribution of Protestants being our ecclesiology of grace a new idea. All told, Jones offers a strongly affirmative account of Protestants without arrogance or polemics. She models how one may be unapologetically Protestant while embracing believers of other traditions as part of one church. And it seems to me that this is how we might best approach the idea of ecumenicity that is the aim of this Ecumenical Dialogue Series.

You might also appreciate my review of the previously published Why I Am A Roman Catholic, by Matthew Levering.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.